


Communicating is Hard

by meils121



Category: Leverage
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 14:50:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13102464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meils121/pseuds/meils121
Summary: Eliot is in love with Hardison and Parker, but he doesn't know how to say it.  He also doesn't know how he's supposed to get through a con where he's pretending to be married to Hardison.





	Communicating is Hard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [venilia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/venilia/gifts).



            “There’s only one bed.”  Eliot says.

            “Uh, yeah?”  Hardison sets his suitcase down just inside the door.  “We’re supposed to be married, remember?”

            And yeah, Eliot remembers.  He just thought maybe there’d be a second bed.  Or a couch, or even a chair.  But there’s nothing.  Just the damn bed.  

            It’s okay.  He can do this.  It’s only for - fuck - a week.  

            “Why does Parker get her own room?”

            “Because we’re supposed to be married.”  Hardison says again, slower this time, like Eliot’s being dumb.  “Married people share hotel rooms.  Single people get their own.”

            And Eliot knows that.  He’s really asking why Parker isn’t the one posing as Hardison’s significant other, especially given that they’ve been dating for a year now.  But he knows why, knows that the con calls for him and Hardison and that’s really all there is to it.

            Except not really.  Because Eliot thinks he might make a huge mistake this week.  It’s hard enough just seeing Hardison and Parker together.  But pretending to be married to one of them might just send him over the edge.

            The first night goes okay.  Eliot’s used to sleeping in weird places and positions, and so curling up tight along the edge of the bed isn’t too hard.  But he can feel Hardison’s body heat and all he really wants is to roll over and bury his face in Hardison’s chest.  It doesn’t help that Hardison sleeps shirtless.  

            “Are you okay?”  Hardison asks the second night.  The job is going well, but Eliot feels like Nate designed this con specifically to torture him.  

            “I’m fine.”  

            Hardison gives him a look but shrugs.  “I’m gonna go hang out with Parker for a while.”  He says.  “Want to join me?”

            Eliot shakes his head.  He can’t deal with both of them right now without wanting to kiss either one of them silly.  “I’m good.  Think I’m going to go to bed early.”

            He falls asleep before Hardison gets back.  It’s easier that way.

            By the fourth morning, Eliot thinks Hardison’s starting to suspect something.  It’s hard, waking up next to Alec and knowing that it’s all fake, that the other man doesn’t think of him that way.  He lays in bed while Hardison showers and tries not to dwell on the fact that he’s not ever going to be able to find a partner who gets him like Hardison and Parker get him.

            “It’s like you’re thinking about something else.”  Hardison says as they walk through the convention later that day.  “Is something wrong?”

            _Yes._  Eliot wants to say.  But he doesn’t.  He just shrugs and says he hasn’t been sleeping well, which is true enough.

            Hardison gives him a funny look.  “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?  You don’t have to do the whole strong-and-silent thing all the time.”

            “I know.”  Eliot says, even though he’s never going to.

            It’s the next night when everything falls apart, just like Eliot knew it would.  He wakes up in the middle of the night because something feels _off_ and finds out that he spooned Hardison in his sleep.  He tries to untangle himself before Hardison wakes up.  Maybe he doesn’t try hard enough, because he should have been able to do that.  Hardison wakes up, though.

            “What - what’re you doing?”  He mumbles, still half-asleep.

            Eliot’s already out of bed.  He’s shaking.  He can’t believe he’s messed up this badly.  “Sorry.  Sorry.”  He repeats.  “I didn’t - I wasn’t -”

            “Whoa.”  Hardison holds up a hand.  “Slow down.  So you hugged me in your sleep.  What’s the big deal?”

            “I -”  Eliot doesn’t know how to say it.  So he doesn’t.  “Nevermind.”           

            “Oh.”  Hardison says, and the look on his face says he’s just figured it out.  “ _Oh_.  Eliot-”

            “I don’t want to talk about it.”  Eliot says.  “I never meant for you to find out.”

            “Slow down.”  Hardison repeats.  “So you like me.  And Parker?”

            It’s out there now.  He might as well make a complete fool of himself.  “I like her too.  I like both of you.  I like the three of us together.  I know it’s weird, and I’m sorry.”

            “It’s not weird.”  Hardison says.  “What’s weird is you secretly pining away and not saying anything.  We’re partners.”

            “And ruin our friendship?”

            Hardison shrugs.  “You know Parker brings you up at least of a third of the time we’re messing around, right?”

            Eliot opens and shuts his mouth a few times.  “Really?”  He finally manages.

            “Yeah.  We like you.”  Hardison says, like things are just that simple.  “And maybe we should have said something.  I mean, we definitely should have.”

            “For a bunch of people whose lives depend on each other, we suck at communicating.”  Eliot says.  

            Hardison cracks a grin.  “We’ll get better.”  He says - promises.  And that’s good enough for Eliot.

 


End file.
